Run
by xoxo-elle
Summary: Roxas left his hometown on bad terms with everyone. After a year of absence, he returns to see that he's not the only one who changed drastically. Rated M for a reason. Akuroku! SoraxRiku and more pairings.
1. Prologue

The moment I opened the stained glass door, I was assaulted by techno music that vibrated through my bones. The smell of sweaty bodies that were grinding against each other mixed with the overwhelming smell of cologne and perfume made my nose scrunch in disgust. I stealthily moved through the teenagers that clogged up the living room of Sora's house hoping that nobody would see me, yet the journey of trying to be undiscovered failed as some girls were whispering while taking out their phone and texting. Well that means everyone will know I'm here, so there's no point of me being here. I moved slightly ready to go back out the front door when I spotted Olette and Pence holding red cups that were most likely filled with water.

"Hey guys, do you know where my friends are at?" I asked nervously looking around for Hayner knowing that he's the only one that will pry where I've been lately. Both of their faces have traces of shock and curiosity at the fact that I showed up at this party since I've been MIA for nearly two weeks.

"And what are we? Chopped liver?!" Groaning I turned to see Hayner with some plastered blonde at his side smirking knowing that he has a chance to interrogate me. He leaned into the blonde's ear and whispered something causing her to giggle annoyingly; I snuck a glance at Olette who had a tight grin on her face as her boyfriend flirted in front of her with some ditzy tramp.

"Darling, don't you have anything to say to Roxas?" Olette asked in an icy tone. I gave her a shocked look as she threw me under the bus in order to gain the attention of her boyfriend back. No mercy when it comes to Olette being ignored, sighing I waited for my berating from Hayner.

"Oh yeah! YOU! Where have you been? You've missed hanging out with us this whole month then you do a Houdini for two whole weeks! Have you ever heard of a cellphone?" Hayner started to bitch at me and my patience was wearing thin, I looked towards Pence for help because god knows what will come out of my mouth if I opened it.

"You know, maybe Roxas has his reasons and we should respect them. He did manage to come to this party so that has to mean something, right?" Pence said with an assuring tone. Yep, I can always count on him to get me out of hot water. I smiled gratefully at him mentally telling myself to get him a present.

"Yes, and respect I shall gain. So just tell me where my other friends are at and I'll be out of your hair. And before you ask, I've just been out on family business okay? Just let it go." All the energy I started off with was slowly dissipating and I was starting to overheat in my long sleeved shirt.

"We were just wondering where you've been Roxas. We missed you." Olette said with affectionate smile as concern clouded her emerald eyes while both Pence and Hayner nodded their heads in agreement. "They're in the basement by the way."

"Thanks." I waved lamely and started to head downstairs to the basement. The people I passed on the way glanced at me and started to whisper to each other. I made sure my face had its signature blank look as I weaved through people to get to the basement. When I reached the entrance to the basement I leaned my head against the door and took a deep breath. As I let it go, the door quickly opened and I fell face forward on the wood floor.

"Urrgghh" I moaned in pain as I heard laughter and a few chuckles.

"Well look who decided to drop in! Hahahahahaha" Oh god, that was lamest pun I've ever heard.

"Seriously Sora, you couldn't come up with anything better?" Namine said as she smacked the side of his head while offering me her hand to help me up. "Hey you, long time no see. I missed you." Her crystal blue eyes shined with sincerity as she tried to fix my hair when Sora started to smack her hands away.

"I missed you more! You were gone for sooo loonngg! Cloud needs to stop working you so hard!" He joked wrapping his arm around my neck putting me in a chokehold.

I pushed Sora's arm off of my neck while wiping imaginary dirt off my pants and looked around the room. Kairi sat on the love seat wearing a skin-tight light pink dress getting cozy to some guy with blue hair. Riku was laying down on the couch with his chin on the armrest and a joint in one hand. His eyes narrowed in irritation to see that Sora's arms were draped all over me again and that I wasn't doing anything about it this time. Sora must have felt my uneasiness as he let me go and sat down on another sofa patting the seat next to him, I shook my head declining his offer as he turned around to talk to some other person. I walked more into the basement to see all the bad seeds of our school down here. The trust fund kids that have more money than they know what to do with it, except spend it on drugs and alcohol.

"I wonder who you're trying to find" a voice teasingly whispered in my ear. I quickly turned my head so fast almost giving myself whiplash as I found my favorite redhead. I didn't stop the smile that graced my face as Axel stood up to his full height as he handed me a soda, which I declined politely. I maneuvered myself to the table filled with alcohol, as I grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels I could hear him sighing.

"What?" I asked harshly. Seriously, I'm not here longer than 10 minutes and we're already going to get in a fight.

"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to drink any alcoholic beverages while on your medication. Who knows what will happen when you mix them together."

"Well that's what I'm going to find out!" I replied with a haughty smile, about to take a swig from the bottle itself only to find out that Sora took it with a pout on his face.

"Roxas, come on, for once, can you listen to the doctors? Why don't you guys go to my room and talk things out yeah?" His pout grew even more, dammit; he knows I can't resist the pout with puppy dog's eyes. Admitting defeat I started to walk towards the door, but not after giving the brunette a cold hard glare. Axel weaved his fingers through mine as he lead me out the door into the empty hallway and back to the living room so we could get to the staircase.

"Can we go any slower? Come on hurry up." I let go of Axel's hand and began to speed walk through the gap that people made by moving away from me. Their eyes following my every move while I could hear people started to talk to Axel, trying to get some information out of him. Rolling my eyes I grabbed Axel's wrist and started to pull him up the stairs to the end of the east hallway where Sora's room was located.

"So let's talk," I said sitting down on the queen-sized bed. I saw Axel leaning against the doorway staring at the floor trying to formulate words into sentences to express his thoughts on my sudden disappearance. "Come over here please." He started to walk near the bed as I grabbed his hands and pulled him on top of me. His body pressed up against mine, his head nuzzled in the crook of my neck, arms staying by his sides as I wrapped my arms across his back I whispered that I missed him.

"Did you really?" The vibrations of his question sent a shiver down my spine. He started to leave a trail of kisses up my neck until he was hovering above my face.

"Mmhhmm," I grabbed a piece of his flaming red hair and tucked it behind his ear. My body tensed up when I felt fingers tracing the waistband of my boxers. I closed my eyes and held my breath in anticipation for what was to come when suddenly his hand stopped traveling where I wanted him to touch.

"We have some business we need to attend to before anything else happens." Huffing, I untangled myself from him and sat up, facing him in our usual 'talk it out' position. "Tell me what happened. The real story, no bullshit." His face was impassive waiting to hear my story.

"Long story short, got high, had a bad trip, ended up in the hospital, now I'm here. So tell me about you. I heard the day I left you went on a date...is it true?" I sounded like a jealous boyfriend, although I had every right to be pissed, Axel was mine.

"Haha, reading the gossip columns Rox? I thought you were above that. It was nothing." He ran his hand through his hair, a mannerism that he only did when he was lying.

"Bull-fucking-shit. It's not like I care, I just want to know why Kairi of all people. Plus you kissed her? When I saw the picture I couldn't help but laugh. So did you guys ended up having sex?" I tried to keep my voice as nonchalant as possible while checking my fingernails to avoid looking at his face. I remembered seeing the picture of her arms around Axel's neck as they kissed. I cried for a bit then I shot up whatever was handed to me to numb the pain.

"Rox, you need to stop letting every little thing affect you. Your reckless behavior is making everyone around you worry. You're destroying your body, please just stop it, for me at least.." Axel pulled me closer to him. "And for your information, she took advantage of me! I thought she was going to take me into a back alley and have her way with me, I was petrified!" I laughed a little while rolling my eyes at his dramatic act. "Seriously though Roxas, it was all a publicity act. You know she's still trying to do damage control over the Namine fiasco."

Yes, the 'Namine fiasco' dealt with many rumors and few scandalous pictures that caused Kairi to lose most of her high positions in charities as well as several modeling agencies she had contracts with. Fortunately for Namine, this enhanced her 'tortured artist' façade she had going on.

Nodding, I accepted this explanation as I leaned forward to kiss him. I could feel his lips smile smugly as I made the first move but I didn't care. His hand travelled to my hair pulling it gently as I gasped which he took as an invitation to battle my tongue with his. I sneaked a hand up his shirt and he grabbed my wrist to stop me. Fuck, the bolt of pain rushed through my body as I tensed and quickly moved my arm away from him. Axel stopped kissing as he moved his head to look inquisitively at me. "Roxas..." he growled, "Give me your arm." He lunged to grab my arm but froze as Sora's voice was at the doorway wondering what the hell we were doing.

I took this opportunity to get away from Axel. "Oh you know, nothing much. Axel was just going to go back downstairs." I smiled at Axel, but felt a twinge of guilt in my stomach as I saw his eyes narrow in anger at me.

"Thanks for letting us use your room, although I would change the sheets if you know what I mean." Axel moved his eyebrows in a suggestive manner as he smirked at Sora. After pretending to zip up his pants, he walked through the door and ruffled Sora's hair. "I'll see you guys downstairs." At this he pointedly stared at me, meaning that we'll continue our talk as soon as possible.

"He can be such a dick sometimes!" Sora walked towards his bed and jumped on when it was in reach. "So tell me what happened. Not between you and Axel, I mean when you left. I totally do not believe that you were gone for two whole weeks on business, like I'm stupid but not that stupid-" I finally got Sora to shut up by kissing him.

"You know, you're so much cuter when you're not talking." I kissed him harder. I wanted to show him that I needed to keep my mind busy, and he wasn't going to deny me this simple pleasure. I moved down his neck, nibbling and kissing trying to find a spot that'll be easily noticed when I leave my mark on him. Sucking on his neck, I slipped my hand under his shirt to feel his four pack. "Nice to know that the munchies haven't completely ruined your body." He turned his head in embarrassment, and I laughed as I leaned down to kiss him again. "I'll stop if you want me to. Do you want me to?"

"No, but this is the last time, I swear." We both know that wasn't true, we used each other as a form of coping with the fact that we can never really be with the one we loved. "Just make it quick, okay?" He moved his lips to mine and kissed me, trying to unbutton my pants as I continued leaving marks on his neck. Deciding to finally get down to business, I unbuckled his jeans and pull down his underwear and reached over to his dresser to grab a bottle of lube.

Sora got off the bed and stripped completely before getting on his knees and hands, this was the only way we fucked, any other position made it seem too intimate. "Are you just going to stare or what?" I rolled my eyes as I coated my fingers in lube before inserting my fingers one at a time, making sure he was properly prepared. It wasn't long before I heard him begging me to fuck him, slightly laughing I lubed my erection and thrusted into Sora, hearing him gasp at my sudden intrusion. I grabbed his hips in dominating way, to let him know that I was in charge. I knew I was being rougher than usual, but I didn't care, I just wanted to feel good; and Sora was helping me. I reached under and grabbed his dick in my hand pumping him to speed of my thrusts trying to get us over the edge soon. I could feel myself getting ready to orgasm when Sora tensed and came all over his sheets. I let go of him as I pulled out and released myself on his comforter.

I started to pull my boxers and pants up while Sora ran to the bathroom to wash himself quickly. After rummaging through his clothes he had everything on except a shirt when he realized that I never took mine off, he struggled to pin me to take it off and he succeeded, being much stronger than me. The shirt was up to my chest but Sora saw enough as he moved my shirt, the door slammed open and Deymx stood there gawking at the awkward position we were in. Sora was straddling me shirtless while my shirt was halfway up seemed to shock him. He started to sputter apologies before closing the door and I rubbed my eyes in frustration.

"Get a shirt on yeah?" I pulled a random shirt from his drawer and threw it at him before I began to walk out of his room back downstairs to the basement. There I heard Deymx's loud voice telling everyone he saw us having sex and how we were to engross in our pleasure to notice he was there. I had enough of his lies, opening the door I felt everyone get quite and I scanned for red to see how he took this information. "Nothing happened, you know how Deymx gets when he has a little too much of whatever he smokes. Exaggerates everything, we just hugged get over it." My word was final, so everybody started to turn back to whatever they were doing before this burnout showed up.

"What happened?" I looked at Sora wearing a V-neck that showed all the hickeys I left him. You gotta be shitting me, out of all the shirts he had, I picked that one. I panicked not wanting anyone to see the brunette's neck but it was too late.

"See! I told ya! He looks like a goddamn leopard..or cheetah...whatever!" Deymx pointed out eagerly before skipping to the alcohol table to reward himself a drink.

"Hey Riku...no hard feelings right?" I heard Sora say to the silver haired boy glaring intently at me. No no no, what the hell Sora why would you provoke him like that?! "Riku?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah no hard feelings. How about you Roxas? No hard feelings right?" Huh? What is he talking about?

"Wha-" before I could finish asking my question I felt his punch to my face as I tripped backwards to the ground. Well this is a great way to start off the summer.

**A/N: Like? Hate? Unsure? Leave a review! **


	2. Suddenly Everything Has Changed

"Okay, you're getting annoying. What's up?" A gasp of surprise left my lips when I saw Cloud standing outside my doorway, arms crossed against his chest, one blonde eyebrow raised and lips pursed. "I've been standing here for five minutes and that was the 12th time I heard you sigh. Anything you need to get off your chest?" His tone light and teasing made me smile a little. I loved it when Cloud dropped the whole businessman aura and went into brother mode, it made it so much easier to talk to him.

"Last week was Sora's annual end of school/start of summer party. It just got me thinking and yeah." I saw his face change into one of boredom; apparently this wasn't a good enough reason to be moody. "Oh yeah, Leon called asking me to tell you to call him back, I guess he really needs to tell you something...I think he mentioned something about you and Tifa." I mentally did a victory dance as his face turned stoic the instant he heard the word Leon and quickly left my room. I'm pretty sure he was going to call Leon and when he found out that the brown-haired man did not call me there will be hell to pay. Oh well, as long as I got a few more minutes to plan my escape would be useful. I got off my bed and grabbed my TOMS and hurried to the window; I pulled it up and had one leg out when I heard the floorboards creak.

"Going somewhere?" A shiver ran down my spine at the icy voice behind me.

"What? No! Of course not! I just wanted to let the cool breeze in." The moment I ended my sentence I knew I was done for. It was pouring cats and dogs outside and here I am with half my body out. "Please Cloud! Don't do this to me! I'll be better I promise!" His expressionless face did not budge at my pitiful attempts of begging.

"Grow up Roxas. I know we were supposed to stay in to celebrate my birthday, but this company dinner slipped my mind and seeing how I'm head of Strife Industries I have to go. So please, change out of your emo clothing and get into something more formal." Rolling his eyes he walked away leaving me to ponder about my choice of clothing.

Sighing I came back into my room and began to shed my black shirt and black skinny jeans walking to the bathroom to at least freshen up before I got into a thousand dollar tux.

"Hey kid, are you almost done in there? Your phone has been ringing and I'm going to throw it against the fucking wall if it doesn't stop!" The aggravated voice of Cid was loud and clear through the sound of the showerhead and music that filled the bathroom.

"Yeah I'm done now. Do you think you can get one of my tuxes out of my closest for me? And make sure it isn't the Ralph Lauren one!" I hated plaid and the fact that was the suit's design made it impossible for me to wear it. I dried my hair not bothering to put anything in it since it had a mind of its own. I walked to my bed to retrieve my phone when it started to ring once again.

"Goddamnit Roxas! Answer the phone!" I rolled my eyes at the drama queen lost deep in my closet trying to find my tux and tapped answer on my touchscreen.

"OHMYGOD. Finally! I thought you were never going to answer!" I moved my phone away from my ear at the shrill voice of Xion as I checked my notifications screen to see that I had indeed missed seven calls.

"Yeah, I was in the shower. Why? What's up?" I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear while opened my underwear drawer which had a variety to choose from...hmmm silk or cotton...maybe I should go with silk to be more comfortable.

"Roxas?! Are you even listening?! This is a life or death situation and you're not even paying attention!" One could only imagine her stomping her feet and waving her hands around in an attempt to convey how important the subject she was talking about was.

"No I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?" I put on my silk boxers as I turned around to see Cid holding up a dark blue suit. Nodding in approval, I motioned to my neck for him to find a tie and he begrudgingly went into my closet to search for one.

"So yeah, I really think he could be the one! Please be on your best behavior tonight okay?" After putting on my pants and I realized that I once again, missed her reason for calling. Obviously it was about some guy she wanted to meet, nothing too big.

"Yeah yeah sure. Plus, when am never on my best behavior?" I started to laugh as I heard her scoff at my question. She knew how bad I could get. "Well I'm finishing getting dressed. I'll see you there. Bye." Not bothering to hear her response I ended the call and finished putting on my white button up shirt and jacket.

"I think a red tie will go good with that suit." I looked up to see Cloud in a full black tuxedo. His blonde hair effortlessly styled into spikes that framed his dark blue eyes perfectly. I could only hope that I looked that good when I'm his age. "You hear that Cid? Get a red tie!" He smirked knowing that Cid would not appreciate that order.

"I'm a goddam bodyguard not a pansy stylist! Here's your stupid ass tie! And before you ask, no I will not get you shoes. I will meet you spoiled brats at the limo in five minutes or else I'll leave your asses behind!" He huffed and puffed and walked right out my door, slamming the front door a minute later.

"Here let me do your tie." I stood in front of my brother as he made an Eldridge knot. "I'm really glad you changed Roxas, I don't think I would have been able to do this a year ago."

"You know, I did go to high society functions every now and then." I hated when he compared the old me to the new me. It always left me with a heavy heart and sinking stomach.

"Well you never went with me, and if you did you either left early to get high or wasted or came to the function high or wasted." Giving my tie one final tug, he smiled before ruffling my hair. "But enough of that, go get your shoes, I'll be in the limo."

As I walked to my closet, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that I was in for a surprise tonight.

* * *

"Cloud is it true that you proposed to Tifa Lockhart?" Flash.

"Roxas, are you and Xion an official thing?" Flash. Flash.

"Did you hear about Axel-" Wait. Flash. What? Flash. I turned to the photographers and reporters to see who said that name when they looked expectantly at me as if I'd answer all of their questions. Shrugging, I made my way to the ballroom of the Jenova Hotel and took in the beauty of the room. The mermaids on the corners of the dance floor and murals of waves and ships painted on the walls matched the rest of Atlantica due to its weird obsession with the ocean but I felt they did that only because it was always raining and wet in this country.

"I thought you were going to actually give those vultures what they wanted." Tifa ruffled my hair then turned to fix Cloud's purple tie that match her dark purple dress matched Cloud's tie. I rolled my eyes at their pathetic attempts to try and make their relationship seem plausible, when in reality; Tifa knew that Cloud was as straight as a rainbow. They excused themselves as the left to converse with the guests and that gave me time to try and find my seat.

"Roxas!" Xion waved from a table indicating that I should walk over there, I looked around to see if her mystery man was there but I saw no trace of an unfamiliar face. "I pulled some strings so now I get to sit with the head honchos! Plus I wanted to make sure you and my date got along." I hummed in response not really caring if I met her new boy toy or not. Usually they all ended within a couple months because none could capture her attention for long.

"So what does this moron do?" She shot me a glare and was about to answer when her phone started to buzz; she took the call and got up.

"Hey I have to go save him from the paparazzi and reporters, I'll be back." Despite her huff in annoyance, I knew she was pleased that her date was so well known; she would use this as a perfect photo op to get their relationship started.

The orchestra that was playing in the background reminded me why I hated going to these kind of things, not to mention the people who thought they were so perfect with their perfect lives and perfect home and perfect jobs and perfect families. Please, I bet the women were screwing their husband's bosses just so there perfect husbands can get that promotion, or that their perfect children were stealing alcohol from their alcohol cabinet. These kind of people were all the same, nothing and no one would change that. Sighing I laid my head on the white tablecloth and tried to nap before the food arrived. It was times like these that I regretted staying away from all forms of social media from my life, it was such an easy way to pass time, but I knew that I'd transform into a crazy stalker if I had the chance to see what my ex-friends were doing with their lives. The room sounded more crowded than before and I could feel the stares of people on my head.

"Roxas sit up before I make you." I rolled my eyes at Cloud's cold tone. It made him seem intimidating and ruthless, which is why he used it so everyone will take him seriously. Grumbling I sat up straight and saw that the two seats next to me where still empty. "Before you ask, no, I don't know where Xion is." He continued talking to the rest of the table, which held the board of directors about stocks and sales, things that I learned at the tender age of five.

"Darling, don't you know that boy?" I smiled at Tifa's endearment, she wanted nothing more than for Cloud to be happy and if pretending to be in love made his life less shitty, then she'd do it. Cloud on the other hand looked pissed, I could see the anger burning in his eyes, but not from the pet name, from whoever this boy was.

"Who are you talking about Tifa?" I asked her. I wanted to scan the crowd but Cloud grabbed my chin before I could turn it more. "Cloud?" I started to squirm in my seat as he narrowed his eyes trying to communicate silently with me but I had no idea what he could possibly tell me since I had no idea why he is so livid. He gave me a sad smile before letting my chin go.

"Well happy birthday Cloudy! I decided to come and celebrate your 22 years of living!" The boisterous voice was behind me and panic filled my blood while my bones turned to lead causing me to stay still instead of immediately turning around. I'm sure I looked like a perfect statue, with my blank face and stiff body but I was chaotic behind that mask. My mind wouldn't let me forget whom this voice belonged to as memories with the person flood my brain. My heart broke at the thought of seeing this person again yet rejoiced at the fact of seeing this person again. My legs were itching to get out of this chair and leave this room, but my arms were aching to wrap to themselves around the lanky body this voice belonged to. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I turned around.

"Axel." I tried to make sure my voice was nonchalant and uncaring. I knew it was a success as my peripheral vision caught Cloud relaxing and turning to Tifa whose eyes were wide as saucers, probably expecting me to blow a gasket.

"Roxas." His green eyes didn't shine like they used to when he said my name. His fiery red hair was pulled into a ponytail and a couple of tendrils framed his face. The gray suit that he had on fitted his body perfectly and I hated to admit it but he looked so fucking handsome. He tried to run his hands through his hair only to remember that it was in a ponytail. "I honestly did not know you'd be here, I swear." I made a mental note of the way he glanced at Cloud almost in fear.

"Wait. You two know each other?!" Xion's question washed over me like icy water. Yes, he's my soul mate and I love him more than life itself even though I fucked him over so many times and he broke my heart into a million pieces causing me to never trust or have feelings for anyone ever again.

"Not really." I answered her question in a bored manner as if Axel was nothing but a stranger to me. Satisfied with my answer, Xion pulled out the seat next to me to sit in, when Axel stopped her.

"Don't you think I should sit there? I mean the whole reason you brought me here was to meet your best friend right? I'm assuming that it's him." Fuck, he was punishing me for lying to Xion about how we know each other or maybe he truly wanted to sit next to me. He gave me the nasty sneer and his green eyes were sending daggers. Nope, he just wanted to get back at me. Xion nodded and took the seat next to him. I wanted to complain and whine about how I didn't want him to sit next to me but no! I will not lose to him; I will be the better man and not be an asshole.

I. Can. Do. This.

"So you're dating Xion? I never knew you swung that way." Well I tried to be the better man obviously it failed.

"No I'm not dating her, but why wouldn't I swing that way? I never dated a boy." He responded a little too quickly.

"You're extremely tall. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm only 6'2, compared to you, of course I must seem like a giant." My eye twitched at his jab at my height.

"What's on your face? I thought tear drops meant you killed people, although you do look like the delinquent type." I sneered this part, why the hell did he ruin his perfect face? I mean sure it made him look hotter but still.

"They're tattoos obviously." He brushed off my question as if it was nothing.

"Your nose is far too perfect, you must have had rhinoplasty." Crap, that actually sounded like a complement.

"Thank you for complementing my nose." He smirked as if he won. Well time to start hitting for the insecurities.

"Your hair is a hideous shade of red, it must be from a bottle, although I have no idea why you'd choose that color." I knew he hated his flaming red hair, but I loved running my hands through the soft locks.

"My hair is au natural, I'll show you proof if you need it." His smirk grew although I could see hurt in his eyes that I would attack him about that.

"I would ask if you have contacts on but that creepy shade of green has to be natural." His green eyes darkened in anger at my comment about his eyes.

"Better than being an average and boring blue color." He rolled his eyes as if my eyes weren't even worth being talked about.

"Boys settle down." I looked at Cloud who said this, expecting him to be on my side but I saw that he was looking down at the table trying to conceal his shit-eating grin while Tifa was trying hard not to laugh her ass off, and Xion's face was one of pure horror.

"Oh my gosh, Roxas! What's your problem?!" Xion hissed at me. "I'm sorry Axel, he didn't mean any of that stuff." She put her hand on top of his and he subtly moved that hand to rub his nose. Her face fell a little and glared at me as if it was my fault.

"Well no harm no foul right? Plus that must have been the best friend interrogation to see if I'm good enough for you. Right Roxy?" He froze at the slip of the old nickname only he was allowed to call me by.

"Whatever." I didn't reprimand him at the mention of the nickname, partially because I loved the fact that he called me it, but also because I knew how much he hated it when I said whatever.

He glared at me as I glared at him. The tension between us could be cut with a knife. The soup placed before gave me an excuse to tear my eyes away from the acidic green pools that were threatening to drown me. I knew I should have gone out the window when I had the chance.

* * *

**A/N: Whatever…ugh I hate that word so much! Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review telling me that you liked it or your thoughts in general. **


	3. I Wanna Hate You So Bad, But I Can't

_"I... I've never told anybody that before."_

_"I guess I'm not anybody." He gave me a small smile before he pressed his lips to my forehead._

_"Hm, if you say so." I teased as I burrowed my head further into the crook of his neck. His body slightly tensed and the languid movements of running his fingers through my hair stopped._

_"Hey Roxas. Do you remember the week we stayed at Kairi's cabin?" Ah, no wonder he's tense. I hummed in response trying to figure out why he'd mention that week in particular since he tried so hard to avoid talking about any part of our failed relationship. "Remember the question I asked everyone when we were in the hot springs?"_

_"Mhm. Why?" I remembered that question, that conversation, my response, what happened when we got to our room... it's not like I could ever forget it._

_"Do you still think that?" Axel's voice was quiet, almost as if he was afraid what my answer would be._

_"Why are you bringing this up?" I didn't want to tell him that I felt the same way, it would make it seem like I wasn't over him, and I couldn't bear to think of losing him as my best friend if he didn't feel the same way. _

_"Just wondering." He sighed loudly and sat up. "Well I really should head home, I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?" And with sloth-like motions, he put on his shoes and started to walk to my door as if he wanted me to ask him not to leave. I huffed in annoyance and glared at the pillow where his stupid head was resting. I am Roxas fucking Strife, prodigal son, future CEO of the richest company of all the worlds; I don't fucking beg people not to go, no matter how bad I want them to stay._

_"Do you ever think about what could have happened if you never left?" I could feel his eyes trained on the back of my head but I didn't look up. I wanted to know why was he asking this. What did he hope to gain from this? Why would he bring this up when things were finally going smooth between us? "I see.."_

_I looked up trying to see what his face contained that his eerily calmed voice hid only to find that he was no longer in my room. My body was on autopilot as I walked out of my room to the hallway, no sign of him there, I could hear the stairs creak as he made his way out of my house. "Axel..." No response. My legs kept moving, faster this time. I stood at the top of the stairs when I saw his body at the bottom of them. "Axel." He turned, staring at me, waiting for my answer; I opened my mouth yet nothing came out. _

_"I don't think I can keep doing this." He opened my front door and left. _

"Hey Xion, do you believe in soul mates?"

"Of course not. That's just so naïve to think something like that exists." She waved her hand as if to swat my question away. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." I looked down in front of me, to see some yellow ice cream on my plate. "How about you Axel?" I took a chunk of ice cream and secretly sniffed it before putting it in my mouth.

"I fancy the idea of soul mates, but I agree, it is a childish notion." WHAT! I looked at Axel only to see his face dead serious and eyes blank. "What about you Roxas? Do you believe that there's only one person in the world for you?"

I stared hard at him. No way Axel Hono had just said that. This couldn't be the same guy who would always listen to my dad's stories of love and fate even after hearing them for the hundredth time. It couldn't be the same Axel I knew that forcefully made Sora and Riku eat a cake made out of paopu and cackled gleefully telling them that they were stuck forever. After all, didn't he say his soul mate was–?

"Hey what flavor is this?" I took another bite of the ice cream trying to remember the familiar taste.

"It's paopu ice cream, Axel didn't like the taste so he traded plates with you when you weren't looking." She gasped in shocked when I quickly pushed the plate away from me as fast as I could.

"Calm down, I knew what it was the moment I looked at it, I didn't eat any of it." Axel murmured at my dramatic actions. "Not like it would have mattered anyways."

"I don't get it. Why would it matter if he ate some anyways?" Xion's head tilted in confusion.

"You're kidding right?" She shook her head and Axel laughed. "Well according to legend, if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined." She raised her eyebrow in a 'so what?' fashion. "Soooooo, whoever shares the fruit will remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."

"Oh." She seemed unimpressed with the legend and I wanted to laugh evilly at the crushed look on Axel's face.

"Oh? That's it?! You should be in wow and fangirling over the fact that something like that exists!" He said exasperated.

"It's a nice story and cool I guess, I just think things like that are childish and really don't interest me." She shrugged.

"How did you two meet?" They both ran in different circles, so unless they met through acquaintances then I couldn't imagine them meeting any other way.

"A club."

"A dinner party."

"No Axel, we first met at that new club in Hallow Bastion, remember? Oh maybe you don't fully remember that night because you were so wasted." She laughed and touched his arm while he grimaced and looked my way. My mind was reeling at the thought of Axel being wasted, sure he would drink alcohol, but the maximum I've ever seen him drink was two bottles.

"Heh, guess I did forget." He didn't admit to drinking...but he didn't deny it either. "I'm assuming you two met at a dinner like this?"

"No. I saw her on the streets of Agrabah passed out, so I took her back to my house and waited until she came back to reality and the rest is history." I didn't mention that she passed out from whatever the fuck she was on that day or that after she woke up she tried to give me a blowjob; I suppressed a shudder from that memory.

"Really?" Axel didn't seem to buy that G rated story, maybe because he knew that the way I met people outside of our little group was either from sex, drugs, or partying.

"Mhhmm, now we're the bestest of friends." I gave a tiny smile at Xion's answer as she clapped her hands together and grinned at the thought of our friendship.

"How much do you know about Roxas?" Stupid Axel, always ruining good moments.

"Well," she hesitated, looking at me, "not much. He made me promise not to look into his past or if I saw any magazines with his name I'd ignore it."

"Don't you ever wonder why? I mean, what's he trying to hide." He gracefully took his champagne glass and finished it in one gulp.

"I don't mind. I like to think of myself as the escape from his life back in Destiny Islands." She winked at me and I rolled my eyes. Yeah she helped me escape all right. She's the reason why I had such easy access to drugs since she's chummy with Hades, the biggest drug lord there is.

"But he's pretty much hiding his whole life from you, I mean aren't you curious to why-"

"Listen Axel, if it doesn't both her, it shouldn't bother you. Just drop it." Picking up my champagne flute, I looked around at the hall. The dance floor had couples dancing while the bar was filled with people talking and having a good old time. There really was no need for me to be here and I'm sure Cloud would understand if I left due to a sudden headache caused by an annoying redhead. Smirking at my ingenious plan, I got up with the full intention of never seeing the redhead again.

"Where are you going?" A hand stopped me from leaving. Oh my glob, can I just please have a getaway plan work for once.

"I'm going out for a smoke." Personally, I hated smoking, but I kept a packet on me so I could use it as a reason to leave.

"I'll go with you." He stood and keeping his hand on my arm. "I could fancy a smoke right now."

"You don't smoke." My eyes narrowed into slits as he ignored my comment and lead me outside. "You can let go of my arm. Ow, you're hurting my arm. What the fuck Axel! Let go!" I yanked my arm away from him rubbing the spot he had in a death grip.

"Oh please, I didn't even grab you the hard. Don't be a little bitch." He smirked at me to tell me he was kidding but my jaw clenched in fury. He lost any privilege to be friendly with me, how dare he try to act like we were friends. "Oh come on Roxas, don't be like that." He whined, trying to get me to be complacent, fuck that.

I walked past him and made my way through the garden of the hotel. The lights that hanged over the pathway would have made this walk romantic, but the air surrounding us seemed awkward and tense. I sat down at a bench in the designated smoker area and pulled out my phone, pretending to check my messages.

"I thought you were gonna smoke, I can't believe I've been duped like this." Axel mockingly put one hand to his forehead and the other to his heart; it took a lot of effort to not roll my eyes at his actions. "I would offer you one, but I know how much you hate these 'death sticks.'" He inhaled and blew smoke into my face, laughing when my eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

"Since when do you smoke?" I sincerely asked, watching him take a drag and release was by far one of the sexiest things I've ever seen him do. I pushed that thought out of my mind as I waited for him to answer my question.

"Hmmm.." Another drag. "I dunno." Smoke exited his nostrils. "Don't give me that fucking look. You do god knows what and _I_ get in trouble for smoking? Tch. Give me a break." He took a longer drag this time. "I'm going to leave if you don't wipe that disgusted look off your face in the next three seconds."

"Alright, sorry." Wait. Why am I apologizing? Yes, leave. Go away. Never come back. Shoo fly, don't bother me. Why am I not saying any of this? "I'm just surprised."

"Glad to know that I can still surprise you. Actually, I'm glad that you're even talking to me at all." Finally, the first genuine smile of the day and it still made my heart ache even after all this time. "Roxas, I owe you an explanation for last time–"

"It's cool, I understand. Just forget it." There was no way in hell I was going to talk about what happened six months ago.

"Roxas," he begged, "please just let me explain–"

"Stop! Just don't bring it up Axel! You could have explained earlier, you had my number, you knew where I was at, you could have stayed, but you didn't. So no, I wont let you explain, you had your chance and for once it wasn't me that fucked up, it was you! So just pretend that it didn't happen and we can go back to being– "

"Go back to being what exactly Roxas? Because we sure as hell weren't friends, but we're not exactly strangers either are we? Tell me what you want us to go back to being because I have no fucking clue as to what the hell we are to each other!" His eyes had fire burning bright in them and his cheeks were flushed with anger. He towered over me and glared with such intensity, it took me a couple seconds to gather my wits. I wasn't use to angry Axel, and when he came out, it wasn't long before fists started flying.

"Is there a problem here?" I peeked behind Axel to find whom the voice belonged to when a bulky, tall, dark skinned man wearing glasses came from the shadows. Okay, that's not suspicious at all. Axel pinched the bridge of his nose before growling out 'rude' to which the man stepped forward a little. Oh my gosh, I was going to get my ass kicked because Axel had to be an asshole to some random dude.

"Forgive him sir. He didn't mean to say you were rude, we're just have a little argument that's all." I put on my best innocent angel act in hope that I would be able to live another day. Axel gave me an incredulous stare before his started to guffaw loudly.

"Geesh Rox, you always knew how to ruin the mood." He managed to get out between his laughter. "This is Rude, as in, that's his name. He's my erhmm… bodyguard, I guess."

"Babysitter is more like it." The man's voice was deep and void of any emotion. "Reno requested that I bring you back."

"Reno? Who's that?" I was confused. Plus, why would Axel need a babysitter? Unless Rude was joking, but I had a feeling he didn't joke.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Axel gave me a Cheshire grin before sticking his tongue out, how mature. "Well see you in another six months." He started walking and gave me a lazy wave. "Oh, another thing Roxas, you should really do your homework for your next meeting, I'd hate for you to look stupid."

I made sure that Axel was long gone before I kicked the iron gate surrounding the garden. I walked back to the party yet still feeling frustrated from seeing Axel and even talking to him. I missed him so much, I wanted to cry from the memories that we rushing into my head, I wanted to cry because today proved that we could never go back to being normal. I hated Axel and his stupid smug face, I hated that he made me forget my promise to myself that the next time we saw each other it's be like we never had met at all, I hate how I wanted to ask how was he and if he missed me at all. I ran my hand through my hair, tugging on the strands trying to calm myself down. I leaned against the brick wall, taking deep breaths trying to avoid the oncoming panic attack, it was working I could feel the air thinning out and my breaths were coming quicker. I stood up and punched the wall feeling a bit better after the hard surface came in contact with my skin. I kept punching and punching until the pain that laced my fists were all I could think of.

"Let's go home and clean you up." Cloud sighed and pulled me away from the wall, leading me to the bathroom. He ran my bloody knuckles under the faucet and felt the bones underneath the bruised skin. "Tsk tsk, I think your broke a couple of knuckles." I didn't respond, I didn't care; I just wanted to go home. "Roxas, are you okay?" He grabbed my face, looking for any signs that I was about to break.

"I'm going home." I tried to leave the bathroom but he held onto me and enveloped me into a hug.

"Okay, let's go home." He ruffled my hair and we made our way to the lobby. "Roxas, I'm going to need you to smile a little and nod. You don't need to talk, just don't cry yet." I wanted to tell him that I wasn't going to cry but I felt my throat clench, oh shit, I guess I was on the verge of breaking down.

The walk to the limo seemed like ages and as soon as my butt hit the leather upholstery I started to sob. Cloud whispered words of comfort as he rubbed my back making me remember that as long as I had my brother, nothing else mattered.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

** So I previously forgot to put a disclaimer so here's one right now.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Heart, Final Fantasy, or any other popular name brands that you may see in this story. **_


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